Friday, September 23, 2011

Hey guys! I'm excited to introduce the first of what will become weekly installments of helpful and fun tips, facts, and projects relating to aromatherapy or herbs and botanicals. I've become increasingly interested in these topics since I've started Candles By Nature. I have been doing some research on my own, so I figured I may as well share with you any tidbits I come across. I know there can be a lot of misinformation online, so I will be doing my best to only post information from what I feel to be reputable sources. If you happen to have any further information on something, or if there is something in particular that you would like me to look into, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know. I would love for this to be a learning experience for all of us, and part of that is starting a dialogue about whatever it is we're interested in.

For this week's Tip I wanted to find a recipe for lavender tea. I just recently harvested my own lavender and have already tried blending a few buds with my green tea and I loved it. But I was curious if there are any other recipes out there and, sure enough, I found a few other ways of brewing your own lavender tea, right at home.

How to Make Lavender Tea
First of all, purchase a package of culinary lavender buds. {Or grow your own!}
Second, decide on which tea you want to combine the lavender buds with.
Place teabags in your pot and boil your water in the usual fashion. Before pouring in the boiling water, simply place 1 tablespoon of lavender buds into the pot, if you are making a full pot. If you are making half a pot, use half a tablespoon of lavender buds.
You will find the amount of lavender that works best for you, as you get used to brewing lavender tea.
Allow the lavender tea to steep and pour into cups. The buds can be sipped, along with the tea, and will impart a delicate flowery flavor.

Another method of making lavender tea involves the use of sugar. Lavender goes particularly well with sweet flavors and can be combined with sugar for a remarkable tasting lavender tea.
Simply stir lavender buds into a container of sugar and allow them to permeate the sugar with their flavor and fragrance. Stir the sugar so the flavor disperses. Add sugar to your pot when you are brewing tea.
If you have a grinder, you may choose to grind your lavender buds before adding them to the sugar. Spoon in sugar each time you desire a pot of lavender tea.
Either method works equally well and your sugar will be infused with the lovely flavor and scent of lavender.

About Me

By day, I’m an Editor at a small publishing company. By night (and weekends, lunch breaks, vacation days, and so on) I’m a good ol’ fashioned candle-maker. I originally decided to start this blog to share my crafting experiences with others and to get the word out about my company, Candles by Nature. While the primary focus of my entries will be on candle-making, I would like to think of this blog as a place where I can discuss *all* things candle-related—which ends up being almost anything, as I’ve found that so many aspects of my life have become intertwined with my candles.